Cell death inhibitory protein

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a protein which inhibits the activation of caspase-12 and uses of the protein. The present invention relates to a recombinant protein selected from the group consisting of the following (a) and (b):  
     (a) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4  
     (b) a protein which consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 having deletion, substitution or addition of one or several amino acids and which inhibits the activation of caspase-12.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a protein which inhibits the activation of caspase-12 by binding to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof, and a cell death inhibitor comprising the protein.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Caspases are a family of proteases which play key roles in the apoptosis of multicellular organisms. Fourteen members of the caspase family have so far been identified from human and mouse (Thornberry, N. A. & Lazebnik, Y., “Caspases, enemies within”, Science 281, 1312-1316 (1998)). The functions of caspases are achieved by cleaving a group of specific proteins with their specific proteolysis activity. It is believed that one of the reasons why a plurality of caspases exist is because different sets of caspases function in response to a variety of apoptotic stimuli.

[0005] It is now being elucidated that, while caspases are involved in normal functions such as, e.g., morphogenesis in the developmental process, the maintenance of homeostasis in the adult, and the removal of cells harmful to the body, they may cause severe illness such as neurodegenerative diseases if they should be activated abnormally (Yuan, J. & Yankner, B. A., Nat. Cell Biol. 1, E44-45 (1999)).

[0006] Caspases are blosynthesized as inactive precursors and activated through intramolecular specific cleavage (processing). Thus, it may be possible to inhibit caspase-induced apoptosis if this processing can be inhibited.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a protein which inhibits the activation of caspase-12 and a cell death inhibitor comprising the protein.

[0008] As a result of extensive and intensive researches toward the solution of the above problem the present inventor has found that a cancer-specific protein MAGE-3 or a truncated form thereof specifically binds to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof (hereinafter, frequently referred to as “pro-caspase-12”). Thus, the present invention has been achieved.

[0009] The present invention relates to a recombinant protein selected from the group consisting of the following (a) and (b), or a gene coding for the recombinant protein:

[0010] (a) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4

[0011] (b) a protein which consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 having deletion, suihbstitiition or addition of one or several amino acids and which inhibits the activation of caspase-12.

[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, the above gene is a gene consisting of a DNA selected from the group consisting of the following (C) and (d):

[0013] (c) a DNA consisting of the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3

[0014] (d) a DNA which hybridizes to the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID: NO: 3 under stringent conditions and which codes for a protein that inhibits the activation of caspase-12.

[0015] Further, the present invention relates to a recombinant vector comprising the above gene.

[0016] Further, the present invention relates to a transformant comprising the above recombinant vector.

[0017] Further, the present invention relates to a method of producing a protein which inhibits the activation of caspase-12, comprising culturing the above transformant in a medium and recovering the protein from the resultant culture.

[0018] Further, the present invention relates to a complex formed by the binding of a MAGE-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof.

[0019] Further, the present invention relates to a cell death inhibitor comprising a MAGE-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof as an active ingredient.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the MA GE-3 protein is a recombinant protein selected from the group consisting of the following (e) and (f):

[0021] (e) a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2

[0022] (f) a protein which consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 having deletion, substitution or addition of one or several amino acids and which inhibits the activation of caspase-12. In one embodiment of the invention, the truncated form of a MAGE-3 protein is a recombinant protein selected from the group consisting of (a) and (b) described above.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the cell death is at least one selected from the group consisting of apoptosis, necrosis, scheduled cell death, programmed cell death and cell injury.

[0024] Further, the present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for cell death related diseases, comprising a MAGE-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof as an active ingredient.

[0025] In one embodiment of the invention, the cell death related disease is at least one selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, amyotrophy and organ disorders.

[0026] Further, the present invention relates to a method of inhibiting the activation of caspase-12, comprising binding a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof.

[0027] Further, the present invention relates to a method of detecting anti-apoptotic activity in a tissue or cell, comprising treating said tissue or cell with an antibody which specifically recognizes a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof and detecting expression of said MAGE-3 protein or said truncated form in said tissue or cell, wherein detection of a high expression of said MAGE-3 protein or said truncated form thereof indicates that said tissue of cell has anti-apoptotic activity.

[0028] Further, the present invention relates to a method of detecting anti-apoptotic activity in a tissue or cell, comprising detecting the expression of an mRNA encoding a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof in said tissue or cell.

BREF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029]FIG. 1 shows the SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis pattern of a MAGE-3 protein purified from Escherichia coli.

[0030]FIG. 2 shows the results of a test examining the binding of MAGE-3 to caspase-12 in cultured mammalian cells.

[0031]FIG. 3 shows the results of a test examining the binding of MAGE-3 to p10 region of caspase-12.

[0032]FIG. 4 shows the amino acid sequence of MAGE-3.

[0033]FIG. 5 shows the results of comparison of the binding affinities between MAGE-3 and two forms of caspase-12 (i.e. mature enzyme and proenzyme).

[0034] Fig.6 shows a schematic drawing of pro-caspase-12.

[0035] Pig. 7 shows the results of a test examining thc inhibition of pro-caspasc-12 activation by MAGE-3.

[0036]FIG. 8 shows the results of a test inducing in cells resistance to apoptosis by high expression of MAGE-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] The present specification includes the contents of the specifications and/or drawings of the Japanese Patent Applications No. 200041927 based on which the present application claims priority.

[0038] The present invention relates to a cancer-specific protein designated “melanoma associated antigen 3” (MAGE-3), truncated forms thereof, and their uses. The present invention has been achieved based on the finding that the above protein has a function to inhibit the processing of caspase-12.

[0039] Pro-caspase-12 is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in cells, and matures into active caspase-12 through autoprocessing triggered by ER-specific stress (Nakagawa, T. et al., Nature 403, 98-103 (2000)). It has been suggested that ER stress is one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease, a human neurodegenerative disease. Accordingly, by inhibiting the activation from pro-caspase-12 to mature caspase-12 or the activation of mature caspase-12 itself using MAGE-3, ER stress-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease can be prevented or treated. Furthennore, since the inhibition of caspase activation by MAGE-3 protein is specific to caspase-12, an inhibitor using MAGE-3 is highly specific and thus expected to give no adverse effect upon normal functions of other caspases.

[0040] The expression “inhibit the activation of caspase-12” used herein means to inhibit the processing of pro-caspase-12 to mature caspase-12 by specifically binding to pro-caspase-12, or to inhibit the function of mature (active) caspase-12 itself by specifically binding to mature caspase-12. As a result of such inhibition, it becomes possible to inhibit cell death caused by mature caspase-12. In the present invention, however, it is preferable to allow MAGE-3 or truncated forms thereof to bind to pro-caspase-12.

[0041] In the present invention, it is possible to inhibit the activation of caspase-12 using MAGE-3 (Gaugler, B. et al., J. Exp. Med. 179, 921 930 (1994)) protcin or truncated forms thereof. In the present invention, MAGE3 protein is expressed as “MAGE-3” and a gene encoding MAGE-3 protein is expressed as MAGE-3. MAGE-3 and truncated forms thereof are specific to caspase-12 and do not exhibit binding activity to other caspases.

[0042] In the present invention, MAGE-3 is isolated by conventional genetic engineering techniques. The resultant gene is introduced into a vector to prepare a recombinant vector, which is then introduced into an appropriate host to create a transformant. When the recombinant vector is constructed as an expression vector that is capable of functioning in the host, MAGE-3 can be obtained by culturing the transformant.

[0043] 1. Cloning of Genes Encoding MAGE-3 and Truncated Forms Thereof

[0044] First, MAGE-3 is cloned in order to obtain the MAGE-3 of the invention. Although the nucleotide sequence of MAGE-3 is known (Gaugler, B. et al., J. Exp. Med. 179,921-930 (1994)), it may also be prepared as described below by genetic engineering techniques.

[0045] (1) Preparation and Screening of MAGE-3 cDNA Library

[0046] Preparation of the mRNA of MAGE-3 may be performed by conventional techniques. For example, a tissue or cells from the testis or tumor are treated with guanidine reagent or phenol reagent to obtain total RNA. Then, poly(A⁺) RNA (mRNA) is obtained therefrom by the affinity column method using oligo(dT)-celulose or poly U-Sepharose using Sepharose 2B as a carrier, or by the batch method. With the resultant MRNA as a template, a single-stranded CDNA is synthesized using oligo(dT) primers and a reverse transcriptase, Then, a double-stranded CDNA is synthesized from the single-stranded cDNA. The thus obtained double-stranded CDNA is integrated into an appropriate cloning vector to prepare a recombinant vector. A host such as E. coli is transformed with the recombinant vector. The resultant transformants are selected using tetracycline resistance and ampicillin resistance as indicators to thereby obtain a cDNA library.

[0047] Alternatively, a commercial cDNA library (c.g., a human testis CDNA library; Clontech) may be used in the present invention.

[0048] As a screening method to select those clones having the DNA of interest from the selected transformants, the immunoscreening technique using antibodies or a method in which primers are synthesized based on the known sequence of the DNA followed by PCR using the primers may be use, for example.

[0049] (2) Preparation of Truncated MA GE-3

[0050] In the present invention, genes encoding truncated forms of MAGE-3 (hereinafter, referred to as “truncated MAGE-3”) can be designed and synthesized. A truncated form of MAGE-3 means a MAGE-3.protein which has a deletion of amino acids at the N-terminus or C-terminus or both ends of the full-length amino acid sequence of MAGE-3 (SEQ ID NO: 2), the total number of the amino acids deleted being 312 at the maximum. More specifically, a truncated form of MAGE-3 means a polypeptide or protein which has at least 2, preferably 10 or more amino acids of SEQ ID NO: 2 remaining after deletion. Specific examples of the truncated form of MAGE-3 of the invention include a MAGE-3 protein lacking amino acids from position 1 to position 81 (Ser) in SEQ ID NO: 2; a MAGE-3 protein lacking amino acids from position 1 to position 88 (Ser) in SEQ ID NO: 2; a MAGE-3 protein lacking amino acids from position 1 to position 90 (Gln) in SEQ ID NO: 2; and a MAGE-3 protein lacking amino acids from position 1 to position 93 (Glu) in SEQ ID NO: 2.

[0051] Of the truncated forms of MAGE-3 protein of the invention (hereinafter, referred to as “truncated MAGE-3”), one lacking amino acids from position 1 to position 93 in SEQ ID NO: 2 is represented by SEQ D NO: 4. This amino acid sequence corresponds to a partial amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 spanning from position 94 to position 314.

[0052] These truncated proteins can be obtained by performing PCR using MAGE-3 (SEQ ID NO: 1; Gaugler, B. et al., J. Exp. Med. 179, 921-930 (1994)) as a template and using primers designed based on partial sequences which are located in any region of SEQ ID NO: 1 outside of the coding region of the truncated protein of interest. It should be noted that it is desirable to add a nuclcotidc scquence containing a translation start codon to the 5′ end of the coding region in order to synthesize truncated MAGE-3.

[0053] (3) Creation of Mutants ofMAGE-3 and Mutants of Truncated MA GE-3

[0054] In the present invention, it is possible to introduce a mutation(s) into a part of the amino acid sequence of MAGE-3 or truncated MAGE-3. Therefore, these mutated proteins are also included in the MAGE-3 or truncated MAGE-3 of the invention. For the introduction of a mutation into an amino acid, a technique is used in which a mutation is introduced into the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the target amino acid.

[0055] The introduction of a mutation into a gene may be performed by known techniques such as the method of Kunkel or the gapped duplex method, or by techniques based on these methods. For example, a mutation may be introduced by site-specific mutagenesis using a mutation-introduced oligonucleotide as a primer (Yoshikawa, F. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271:18277-18284 (1996)). This may be carried out using a commercial mutagenesis kit such as Mutan-K (Takara), Mutan-G (Takara) or LA PCR in vitro Mutagenesis Series kit (Takara).

[0056] For example, a primer is synthesized which consists of a mutated nucleotide and flanking regions thereof (about 10 nucleotides for each) that are found in the nucleotide sequence of MAGE-3 or truncated MACE-3. Then, PCR is performed with MAGE-3 as a template and using the above primer The PCR product is purified and treated with an appropriate restriction enzyme(s) to thereby obtain MA GE-3 or truncated MAGE-3 of interest.

[0057] (4) Determination of Nucleotide Sequences

[0058] The nucleotide sequence of the thus obtained gene is determined. This sequencing may be performed by the chemical modification method of Maxam-Gilbert or the dideoxynucleotide chain termination method using M13 phage. However, sequencing is usually performed with an automated DNA sequencer (e.g., 377A DNA Sequencer; Perkin-Elmer).

[0059] The nucleotide sequence of MAGE-3 is shown in SEQ ID NO: I and the amino acid sequence of MAGE-3 in SEQ ID NO: 2. The nucleotide sequence of a truncated MA GE-3 is shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 and the amino acid sequence of this truncated MAGE-3 in SEQ ID NO: 4. As long as the polypeptides consisting of these amino acid sequences have specific binding activity to caspase-12 or pro-caspase-12, (i.e., as long as they can inhibit the activation of caspase-12), those amino acid sequences may have mutations such as deletion, substitution or addition of one or more (e.g., one or several, preferably about one to ten, more preferably one to five) amino acids.

[0060] In addition to the gene (SEQ ID NO: 3) encoding the amino acids included in the truncated MAGE-3 of the invention (SEQ ID NO: 4), degenerate isomers encoding the same polypeptide which differ only in degenerate codons are also included in the gene of the invention. Furthermore, DNAs which hybridize to the nucleotide sequence of the truncated MAGE-3 (SEQ ID NO: 3) under stringent conditions and which encode a protein that inhibits the activation of caspase-12 are included in the gene of the invention.

[0061] The “stringent conditions” used herein means such conditions under which the so-called specific hybrids are formed, but non-specific hybrids are not formed, For example, those conditions may be given under which two highly homologous nucleic acids (i.e., DNAs having 60% or more, preferably 80% or more homology to each other) hybridize to each other, but hybridization does not occur between two nucleic acids with less homology. More specifically, a sodium concentration of 15-900 mM, preferably 15-150 mM, and a temperature of 37-70° C., preferably 68° C., are used.

[0062] Once the nucleotide sequence of the truncated MAGE-3 of the invention has been determined, the gene of the invention can be obtained by chemical synthesis or by PCR using primers synthesized based on the determined nucleotide sequence.

[0063] 3. Preparation of Recombinant Vectors and Transformnants Comprising the Gene of the Invention

[0064] (1) Preparation of Recombinant Vectors

[0065] The recombinant vector of the invention can be obtained by ligating (inserting) the gene of the invention into an appropriate vector. The vector into which the gene of the invention is to be inserted is not particularly limited as long as it is replicable in a host. For example, plasmid DNA, phage DNA or the like may be used.

[0066] Specific examples of plasmid DNA include a commercial plasmid such as p Bluescript SK+(Stratagene). Other examples of plasmids which may be used in the invention include E. coli-derived plasmids (e.g., pBR322, pBR325, pUC118 and pUC119), Bacillus subtilis-derived plasmids (e.g., ptJB110 and pTP5) and yeast-derived plasmids (e.g., YEpl3, YEp24 and YCp50). Specific examples of phage DNA include λ phages (e.g., Charon4A, Charon21A, EMBL3, EMBL4, λgt10, λgt11 and λ ZAP). Further, an animal virus vector such as retrovirus, adenovirus or vaccinia virus; or an insect virus vector such as baculovirus may also be used. Further, a fusion plasmid in which a gene expression activating protein (such as B42) is ligated (e.g., pYG4-5) may be used. A fusion plasmid which may be used in the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned pJG4-5. A fusion plasmid in which OST, GFP, His-tag, Myc-tag or the like is ligated may also be used in the invention.

[0067] For insertion of the gene of the invention into a vector, a method may be employed in which the purified DNA is digested with an appropriate restriction enzyme and then inserted into the restriction site or multi-cloning site of an appropriate vector DNA for ligation to the vector.

[0068] The gene of the invention must be operably linked to the vector. For this purpose, the vector of the invention may contain, if desired, cis elements such as an enhancer, a splicing signal, a poly(A) addition signal, selection markers, a ribosomne binding sequence, (SD sequence) or the like in addition to a promoter and the gene of the invention. As the selection marker, chloramphenicol resistance gene, ampicillin resistance gene, dihydrofolate reductase gene, neomycin resistance gene, or the like may be enumerated.

[0069] (2) Preparation of Transformants

[0070] The transformant of the invention may be obtained by introducing the recombinant vector of the invention into a host so that the gene of interest can be expressed. The host is not particularly limited as long as it can express the gene of the invention. Specific examples of hosts wllich inay be used in the invention include Escherichia bacteria such as E. coli; Bacillus bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis; Pseudomonas bacteria such as Pseudomonas putida; yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe; animal cells and insect cells.

[0071] When a bacterium such as E. coli is used as a host, the recombinant vector of the invention is preferably not only capable of autonomous replication in the host but also composed of a promoter, a ribosome binding sequence, the gene of the invention and a transcription termination sequence. The vector may also contain a gene that controls the promoter.

[0072] Specific examples of E. coli strains which may be used in the invention include BL21 (DE3), JM109 and HB101. Specific examples of Bacillus subtilis strains which may be used in the invention include WB700 and LKS87.

[0073] As the promoter, any promoter may be used as long as it can direct the expression of the gene of the invention in a host such as E. coli. For example, an E. coli- or phage-derived promoter such as trp promoter, lac promoter, P_(L) promoter or P_(R) promoter; or an E. coli-infectious phage-derived promoter such as T7 promoter may be used. An artificially altered promoter such as tac promoter may also be used.

[0074] As a method for introducing the recombinant vector into a bacterium, any method of DNA transfer into bacteria may be used. For example, a method using calcium ions (Cohen, S. N. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 69:2110-2114 (1972)) or electroporation may be used.

[0075] When yeast is used as the host, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe or Pichia pastoris may be used, for example. A promoter which may be used in this case is not particularly limited. Any promoter may be used as long as it can direct the expression of the gene of the invention in yeast. For example, GAL1 promoter, GAL10 promoter, heat shock protein promoter, MF α 1 promoter, PH05 promoter, PGK promoter, GAP promoter, ADH promoter, AOX1 promoter or the like may be enumerated. As a method of introducing the recombinant vector into the yeast, any method of DNA transfer into yeast may be used. For example, electroporation (Becker, D. M., Methods Enzymol., 194:182-187 (1990)), the spheroplast method (Hinnent A. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 75:1929-1933 (1978)), the lithium acetate method (Itoh, H., J. Bacteriol., 153:163168 (1983)) or the like may be enumerated.

[0076] When an animal cell is used as the host, simian COS-7 or Vero cells; Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO cells); mouse L cells; rat GH3, PC12 or NG108-15 cells; human FL, HEK293, HeLa or furkat cells; or the like may be used. As a promoter, SR a promoter, SV40 promoter, LTR promoter, β-action promoter or the like may be used. The early gene promoter of human cytomegalovirus may also be used. As a method of introducing the recombinant vector into the animal cell, electroporation, the calcium phosphate method, or lipofection may be used, for example.

[0077] When an insect cell is used as the host Sf9 cells, Sf21 cells or the like may be used. As a method for introducing the recombinant vector into the insect cell, the calcium phosphate method, lipofection, or electroporation may be used, for example.

[0078] 4. Production of Truncated MAGE-3

[0079] The truncated MAGE-3 of the invention can be obtained by culturing the above-described transformant and recovering the protein from the resultant culture. The term “culture” means any of the following materials: culture supernatant, cultured cells or microorganismns, or disrupted products from cultured cells or microorganisms. The cultivation of the transformant of the invention is carried out in accordance with conventional methods commonly used for culturing hosts.

[0080] As a medium to culture the transformant obtained from a microorganism host such as E. coli or yeast, either a natural or synthetic medium may be used as long as it contains carbon sources, nitrogen sources and inorganic salts assimilable by the microorganism and is capable of effective cultivation of the transforinant.

[0081] As carbon sources, carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch; organic acids such as acetic acid, propionic acid; and alcohols such as ethanol and propanol may be used. As nitrogen sources, ammonia; ammonium salts of inorganic or organic acids such as ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, ammonium acetate, ammonium phosphate; other nitrogen-containing compounds; Peptone; meat extract; corn steep liquor and the like may bo uscd. As inorganic substances, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, magnesium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride, iron(II) sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium carbonate and the like may be used.

[0082] Usually, the cultivation is carried out under aerobic conditions (such as shaking culture or aeration agitation culture) at 37° C. for 6 to 24 hrs. During the cultivation, the pH is maintained at 6.5 to 7.5. The pH adjustment is carried out using an inorganic or organic acid, an alkali solution or the like. During the cultivation, an antibiotic such as ampicillin or tetracycline may be added to the medium if necessary.

[0083] When a microorganism transformed with an expression vector containing an inducible promoter is cultured, an inducer may be added to the medium if necessary. For example, when a microorganism transformed with an expression vector containing a promoter which is inducible by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) is cultured, IPTG may be added to the medium. When a microorganism transformed with an expression vector containing trp promoter which is inducible by indoleacetic acid (IAA) is cultured, IAA may be added to the medium.

[0084] As a medium to culture a transformant obtained from an animal cell as a host, commonly used RPMI1640 medium or DMEM medium, or one of these media supplemented with fetal bovine serum, etc. may be used. Usually, the cultivation is carried out in the presence 5% CO₂ at 37° C. for 1 to 30 days. During the cultivation, an antibiotic such as kanamycin or penicillin may be added to the medium if necessary.

[0085] After the cultivation, the truncated MAGE-3 of the invention is recovered by disrupting the microorganisms or cells by such methods as sonication, repeated freezing & thawing, or treatment with a homogenizer, if the protein is produced within the microorganisms or cells. If the truncated MAGE-3 of the invention is produced outside the microorganisms or cells, the culture fluid is used as it is or subjected to centrifugation to remove the microorganisms or cells. Thereafter, the resultant supernatant is subjected to conventional biochemical techniques used for isolating/purifying proteins. These techniques include ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography, and may be used independently or in an appropriate combination. Thus, the protein of the invention can be isolated and purified from the above-mentioned culture.

[0086] 5. Cell Death Inhibitors

[0087] MAGE-3 and truncated MAGE-3 react specifically with caspase-12 or the precursor thereof to thereby inhibit the processing from the precursor to the mature enzyme. Therefore, MAGE-3 or truncated MAGE-3 may be used as a cell death inhibitor. Also, MAGE-3 or truncated MAGE-3 may be used for treating or preventing diseases associated with cell death (cell death-related diseases). Furthermore, MAGE-3 or truncated MAGE-3 is useful as an agent for gene therapy. In addition, by determining the amount of MAGE-3 contained in cells, it is possible to examine the ability of the cells or tissue to resist apoptosis.

[0088] Specific examples of cell death-related diseases include Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, amyotrophy and organ disorders. These diseases may be treated with the therapeutic agent of the invention regardless of whether they have been developed independently or in a form of complication. A combination of the above-mentioned disease(s) with other disease(s) is also included in the complication.

[0089] The therapeutic agent or agent for gene therapy of the invention can be administered orally or parenterally and systemically or locally.

[0090] When the protein or the gene of the invention is used as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent (including agent for gene therapy) for cell death-related diseases, the target is not particularly limited. For example, the agent of the invention may be used for a specific purpose of treating or preventing a cell death-related disease developing in tissues in the nervous system (such as the brain, spinal cord), the vascular system (such as the artery, vein, heart), the respiratory system (such as the trachea, lung), the digestive system (such as the salivary gland, stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas), the lymph system (such as the lymph node, spleen, thymus), the uninary system (such as the kidney), or the reproductive system (such as the testis, ovary, uterus). Such a disease may be an independent disease, or may be complicated with other cell death-related disease, or may be complicated with even a disease other than cell death-rolated diseases.

[0091] When the therapeutic agent of the invention is administered orally, the agent may be prepared into any of the formulations such as tablets, capsules, granules, powder, pills, troches, internal liquid agents, suspensions, emulsions or syrups. Alternatively, the therapeutic agent may be prepared into a dry product which is re-dissolved just before use. When the therapeutic agent of the invention is administered parenterally, the agent may be formulated into intravenous injections (including drops), intramuscular injections, intraperitoneal injections, subcutaneous injections, suppositories, or the like. Injections are supplied in the form of unit dosage ampules or multi-dosage containers,

[0092] These formulations may be prepared by conventional methods using appropriate excipients, fillers, binders, wetting agents, disintegrating agents, lubricating agents, surfactants, dispersants, buffers, preservatives, dissolution aids, antiseptics, flavoring/perfuming agents, analgesics, stabilizers, isotonic agents, etc. conventionally used in pharmaceutical preparations.

[0093] Each of the above-described formulations may contain pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or additives. Specific examples of such carriers or additives include water, pharmaceutically acceptable organic solvents, collagen, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, carboxyvinyl polymers, sodium alginate, water-soluble dextran, sodium carboxymethyl starch, pectin, xanthan gum, gum arabic, casein, gelatin, agar, glycerol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, vaseline, paraffin, stearyl alcohol, stearc acid, human serum albumin, mannitol, sorbitol and lactose. One or a plurality of these additives are selected or combined appropriately depending of the form of the preparation.

[0094] The dosage levels of the therapeutic agent of the invention will vary depending on such factors as the age of the subject, the route of administration and the number of times of administration, and may be varied in a wide range. When an effective amount of the protein of the invention is administered in combination with an appropriate diluent and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the effective amount of the protein may be in the range from 0.0001 to 1000 mg/body weight per administration. The therapeutic agent may be administered once a day or in several dosages per day.

[0095] When the gene of the invention is used as an agent for gone therapy, the gent of the invention may be directly administered by injection. Alternatively, a vector incorporating the gene of the invention may be administered. Specific examples of a suitable vector for this purpose include an adenovirus vector, adeno-associated virus vector, herpes virus vector, vaccinia virus vector and retrovirus vector. By using such a virus vector, the gene of the invention can be administered efficiently. Alternatively, the gene of the invention may be enclosed in phospholipid vesicles such as liposomes, and the resultant liposomes may be administered to the subject. Since liposomes are closed vesicles containing a biodegradable material, the gene of the invention and liposomes are mixed so that the gene is retained in the internal aqueous layer and the lipid bilayer of the liposomes (a liposome-gene complex is formed). Subsequently, when this complex is cultured with cells, the gene in the complex is taken into the cells (lipofection). Then, the resultant cells may be administered by the methods as described below.

[0096] As a method of administration of the agent for gene therapy of the invention, local administration to the central nervous system (such as the brain, spiral cord), the vascular system (such as the artery, vein, heart), the respiratory system (such as the trachea, lung), the digestive system (such as the salivary gland, stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas), the lymph system (such as the lymph node, spleen, thymus), the uninary system (such as the kidney), the reproductive system (such as the testis, ovary, uterus), etc. may be performed in addition to conventional systemic administration such as intravenous or intra-arterial administration. Further, an administration method combined with catheter techniques and surgical operations may also be employed.

[0097] The dosage levels of the agent for gene therapy of the invention vary depending on such factors as the age, sex and conditions of the subject, the route of administration, the number of times of administration, and the type of the formulation. Usually, it is appropriate to administer the gene of the invention in an amount of 0.1-100 mg/adult body per day.

[0098] 6. Detection of Anti-Apoptotic Activity

[0099] The present invention is applicable to the detection of anti-apoptotic activity in cells or tissues. Briefly, those cells or tissues that have been shown expressing MAGE-3 (including truncated form thereof) highly as a result of determination of MAGE-3 are judged to have acquired anti-apoptotic activity. The detection and quantitative determination of MAGE-3 or truncated form thereof may be performed by reacting it with an antibody (polyclonal or monoclonal) which specifically recognizes MAGE-3 at truncated form thereof. An extract prepared from a cell or tissue is spotted on a membrane such as nitrocellulose membrane to thereby prepare a dot blot, or an extract is electrophoresed and transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane to thereby prepare a Western blot. Then, anti-MAGE-3 antibody and a secondary antibody are reacted with the blot in order to thereby detect MAGE-3. Alternatively, an extract is directly subjected to such technique as ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) to quantitatively determine MAGE-3. It is also possible to immunologically stain cells or tissues with anti-MAGE-3 antibody directly to thereby detect those cells or tissues that have acquired anti-apoptotic activity.

[0100] Furthermore, it is also possible to determine anti-apoptotic activity in tissues or cells by detecting MnRNA encoding MAGE-3 or a truncated form thereof in the tissues or cells. The detection of mIRNA can be performed by applying in situ hybridization or in situ RT-PCR (reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction) to tissues or by applying Northern blotting or RT-PCR to nucleic acids extracted from tissues or cells.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OFTHE INVENTION

[0101] Hereinbelow, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the following Examples. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these Examples. The nucleic acid-related reagents and enzymes used in these examples were purchased from Takara Biochemicals (Japan) or New England Biolabs (U.S.A.). The medium materials for culturing E. coi were purchased from Difco (U.S.A.). The medium materials for culturing mammalian cells were purchased from Gibco-BRL (U.S.A.). Unless otherwise indicated, other reagents were those manufactured by Sigma-Aldrich (U.S.A.).

EXAMPLE 1 Cloning of MA GE-3

[0102] A PCR (polyrmerase chain reaction) was performed using a human testis cDNA library (Clontech, U.S.A.) as a template to thereby obtain the coding region of MAGE-3 protein for use in a large scale expression experiment. An outline of the procedures is as described below. Not only in this Example but also in the subsequent Examples, general procedures for handling DNA and RNA were in accordance with the methods described by Sambrook et al. (Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., & Maniatis, T., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA (1989)).

[0103] Although high expression of MAGE-3 is observed in many cancer cells including melanoma cells, the expression of MAGE-3 in normal cells is limited to the testis (Van Pet, A. et al., Inmunol. Rev. 145,229-250 (1995)). The primers used in the PCR (i.e., NTOP77, NBOT68, NTOP79 and NBOT65) had the sequences as described below. In order to facilitate the subsequent cloning, a 5′ primer (NTOP79) contained a sequence GATATC which can be cut by restriction enzyme EcoRV, and a 3′ primer (NBOT65) contained a sequence CTCGAG which can be cut by restriction enzyme Xhol. NTOP77: GCCCAGCTCCTGCCCACACT (SEQ ID NO:5) NBOT68: GGATGCGGCCCCGGAAGGT (SEQ ID NO:6) NTOP79: CTCGATATCGCACCATGCCTCTTGAGCAGAGG (SEQ ID NO:7) NBOT65: CTCCTCGAGTCACTCTTCCCCCTCTCT (SEQ ID NO:8)

[0104] A set of DNA polymerase and a reaction buffer for PCR (Expanded High Fidelity PCR System) was purchased from Boehringer Mannheim (Germany). Reaction conditions of the PCR were as follows. Briefly, the 1st round PCR was performed with 1 ng of testis cDNA as a template using primers NTOP77 and NBOT68. This 1st round reaction was carried out 40 cycles, one cycle consisting of denaturing (at 94° C. for 1 min), primer annealing (at 59° C. for 1 min) and DNA extension (at 72° C. for 1 min). One thousandth (1/1000) of the resultant PCR product was supplied to the 2nd round PCR. Using primers NTOP79 and NBOT65, the 2nd round PCR was performed 35 cycles, one cycle consisting of denaturing (at 94° C. for 1 min), primer annealing (at 50° C. for 1 min) and DNA extension (at 72° C. for 1 min).

[0105] As a result of these PCR reactions, a DNA fragment of approximately 900 bp was specifically amplified. After cutting both ends of this fragment with restriction enzymes EcoRV and Xhol (both from Takara Biochemicals), the fragment was purified by agarose gel electrophoresis followed by DNA extraction (using Geneclean Idt manufactured by Bio101, U.S.A.). The purified DNA fragment was inserted between the EcoRV and XhoI sites of a common vector pBluescript SK(-) to thereby obtain plasmid pNB178.

EXAMPLE 2 Large Scale Production of MAGE-3

[0106] MAGE-3 was produced in a large scale using E. coli.

[0107] First, the MAGE-3 cloned in pNB178 was amplified by PCR. A sequence which can be cut by restriction enzyme NheI was added to the 5′ primer, and a sequence which can be cut by restriction enzyme XhoI was added to the 3′ primer. The reaction was performed 25 cycles, one cycle consisting of denaturing (at 94° C. for 1 min), primer annealing (at 51° C. for 1 min) and DNA extension (at 72° C. for 2 min).

[0108] The amplified DNA fragment was purified in the same manner as described in Example 1, and then inserted between the NheI and XhoI sites of an E. coli expression plasmid vector pRSET-A (Invitrogen, U,S.A.) to thereby obtain plasnid pNB202. The use of this pREST-A vector adds a tag sequence containing His-His-His-His-His-His (Met-Arg-Gly-Ser-His-His-His-His-His-His-Gly-Met-Ala-Ser: SEQ ID NO: 9) to the 5′ end of the cloned gene. This enables affinity purification of the expressed protein using an affinity resin with nickel ions (e.g., Probond; Invitorogen).

[0109]E. colt BL21 (DE3) pLysS strain was transformed with pNB202. The resultant transformants were cultured in LB medium containing ampicillin (100 μg/ml) and chloramphenicol (34μg/ml) (Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., & Maniatis, T., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., USA (1989)). The expression of the MAGE-3 was induced by adding 0.2 mM isopropyl-6-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) to the medium containing transformants at the logarithmic growth phase. The MAGE-3 protein produced by forced expression was purified using Probond affinity resin (Invitrogen) according to the protocol of Novagen (U.S.A.).

[0110] As a result, approximately 100 A g of purified MACE-3 was obtained from 1 liter of the culture liquid. It was confirmed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that the purity of the thus purified MAGE-3 was high (FIG. 1).

EXAMPLE 3 Binding Experiment between MAGE-3 and Proaspase-12

[0111] Pro-caspase-12 and MAGE-3 protein were over-expressed in COS-1 cells. Then, the binding of them in an extract from the COS-1 cells was examined by the immunoprecipitation technique.

[0112] An anti-MAGE-3 antibody to be used in the detection of immunoprecipitate was prepared by immunizing rabbits. Briefly, a peptide representing a C-terminal sequence of MAGE-3 (CHISYPPLHEWVLREGEE; SEQ ID NO: 10; Tana Laboratories, U.S.A.) was linked to a carrier protein (activated hemocyanin; Pierce, U.S.A.) and injected into rabbits together with an adjuvant. The “C” at the amino terminus of the above peptide was added artificially so that the peptide binds to the carrier protein and an affinity resin to be used. On the other hand, a peptide of the same sequence as described above was coupled to activated FMP-Cellulofine resin (Seikagaku Corp., Japan) to prepare a peptide column, which was used in the subsequent affinity purification. The anti-serum obtained from the immunized rabbit was applied to the peptide column to thereby allow the specific antibody to bind to the peptide. The specific antibody was eluted from the columnn with a glycine solution (pH 2.6). The pH of the effluent was raised to a neutral pH value by adding thereto 1 M Tris. The specific antibody contained therein was used in the subsequent experiment.

[0113] A cDNA encoding pro-caspase-12 and a cDNA encoding MAGE-3 were cloned separately into a mammalian cell expression plasmid pcDNA3.1(−) (Invitrogen, U.S.A.) and transferred into COS-1 cells by transient co-transfection. For pro-caspase-12, a genetically engineered gene was used which would add a FLAG sequence (Hopp, T. P. et al. Bio/Technol. 6, 1204-1210 (1988)) to the amino terminal of the expressed product. For transferring these genes into COS-1 cells, Superfect Transfection Kit (Qiagen, Germany) was used.

[0114] Two days after the transfection, COS-1 cells were harvested to prepare a cell extract. Using an anti-FLAG affinity gel (Sigma-Aldrich, U.S.A.), FLAG-added caspase-12 was selectively immunoprecipitated from the cell extract. The detection of proteins was carried out by Western blotting (Harlow, E. & Lane, D., Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., U.S.A. (1988)) using ECLplus kit (Arnersham-Pharmacia).

[0115] The results are shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, lane 1 shows that MAGE-3 co-exists in the irnnunoprecipitate. This occurred because MAGE-3 had bound to the pro-caspase-12 precipitated by the anti-FLAG affinity gel. When MAGE-3 alone was over-expressed in COS-1 cells as a control experiment, MAGE-3 could not be inmunoprecipitated by the anti-FLAG affinity gel (lane 2).

[0116] Thus, it was revealed that MACE-3 protein and pro-caspase12 form a stable complex in cultured mammalian cells.

EXAMPLE 4 Examination of the MAGE-3-Binding Region within Caspase-12 and its Specificity

[0117] The MAGE-3-binding region within caspase12 was examined according to the yeast two hybrid method developed by R. Brent et al. in the U.S. (Gyuris, J. et al., Cell 75, 791-803 (1993)). According to this method, the binding of two proteins can be detected when a yeast strain containing genes of these two proteins exhibits δ-galactosidase activity.

[0118] Briefly, a cDNA encoding MAGE-3 was cloned into vector pJG4-5 to thereby create a fusion gene composed of MAGE 3 and a gone encoding the gene expression-activating protein B42. The plasmid containing this fusion gene was designated pNB321.

[0119] A cDNA fragment corresponding to plO subunit contained in mature caspase-12 (Thornberry, N. A. & Lazebnik, Y, Science 281, 1312-1316 (1998)) was cloned into vector pEG202 to thereby create a fusion gene composed of p10 and the DNA-binding region of LexA. The plasmid containing this fusion gene was designated pNB316.

[0120] These plasmids pNB321 and pNB316 as well as plasmid pSH18-34 containing a galactosidase reporter gene were introduced into a budding yeast strain EGY48 for assay purpose to thereby create NMY307 strain. NMY307 was cultured in a synthetic medium [0.67% yeast nitrogen source (Difco, U.S.A.); histidine-, tryptophan- and uracil-free amino acids/nucleic acids mixture (Bio-101, U.S.A.), 2% galactose]. Then, β-galactosidase activity in NMY307 was examined according to the method of Gyuris et al. (Gyuris et al., Cell 75, 791-803 (1993)).

[0121] On the other hand, δ-galactosidase activity was examined in the same manner on those yeast strains containing gene fragments encoding p10 regions of other caspases (i.e., caspase-1, −2, −3 and −8) (individually cloned into pEG202) and MAGE-3 (cloned into pJG4-5).

[0122] The results are shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, “1”,“2”, “3”, “8” and “12” represent yeast cells containing gene fragments encoding p10 region of caspase-1, -2, -3, -8 and -12, respectively, together with MAGE-3. “P” represents a positive control strain prepared by introducing a gene encoding an active transcription factor (cloned in plasmid pSH17-4) and a δ-galactosidase reporter gene (cloned in plasmid pSH18-34) into EGY48. “N” represents a negative control strain prepared by introducing a gene fragment encoding p10 region of caspase-12 and a δ-galactosidase reporter gene into EGY48.

[0123] It was shown that yeast cells in which δ-galactosidase activity is occurring generate a colored substance from the substrate X-Gal (5-bromo4-chloro-3-indolyl-δ-D-thiogalactoside) (“12” in the lower panel). This means that the p10 region of mature caspase-12 has bound to MAGE-3 protein. This δ-galactosidase activity was almost equal to that observed in the positive control strain (“P” in the lower panel) in intensity. On the other hand, color development was observed little in the negative control strain (“N” in the lower panel). Furthermore, the color development in any of the other caspases tested (i.e., caspase-1, -2, -3 and -8) was as little as in the negative control strain “N” (FIG. 3, the lower panel). Thus, the binding of these caspases to MAGE-3 was not detected.

[0124] Consequently, it was revealed that pl region located on the C-terminal side in cascape-12 (which becomes an approximately 10 kUa subunit in mature caspase-12) is necessary for the binding of caspase-12 to MAGE-3, and that the binding of MAGE-3 to caspase-12 is specific.

EXAMPLE 5 Binding Experiment between Caspase-12 and Truncated Forms of MAGE-3

[0125] Factors which can bind to the p10 region of pro-caspase-12 were searched for using a HeLa cell cDNA library.

[0126] A gene fragment encoding the p10 region of pro-caspase-12 was cloned into pEG202 and subjected to the interaction trapping technique developed by R. Brent et al. (Gyunris, J. et al., Cell 75, 791-803 (1993)). All of the resultant binding proteins were truncated forms of MAGE-3. These truncated forms were as described below. The shortest truncated form (Truncated Form 1) consists of the amino acid sequence spanning from the Gly residue at position 94 to the Glu residue at the C-terminus of the full-length MAGE-3 protein (represented by SEQ ID NO: 2),

[0127] Truncated Form 1: a MAGE-3 protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids 1-93 are deleted

[0128] Truncated Form 2: a MAGE-3 protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids 1-90 are deleted

[0129] Truncated Form 3: a MAGE-3 protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids 1-83 are deleted

[0130] Truncated Form 4: a MAGE-3 protein consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids 1-81 are deleted

[0131] For each of these truncated forms, its binding to caspase-12 was examined in accordance with the method of Giyuris et al. mentioned above. Briefly, a gene fragment encoding p10region of procaspase-12, a gene fragment encoding a truncated MAGE-3 and a lacZ reporter gene were transformed into a budding yeast strain EGY48. The resultant transformant was cultured on synthetic galactose medium plates. Colonits formed on the plate were transferred onto a nylon membrane (Hybond-N⁺; Amersham-Pharmacia) and then dipped in liquid nitrogen to disrupt yeast cells. The nylon membrane on which disrupted cells were present was dipped in an X-Gal-containing phosphate buffer (Gyuris, J. et al., Cell 75, 791-803 (1993)) and retained at 30° C. for 4-6 hr. Then; it was confirmed that a reaction generating blue color occurred on the surface of the membrane by the enzyme activity of the 9 -galactosidase produced when the lacZ gene in yeast cells was expressed as a result of the binding of p10 region of pro-caspase-12 to the truncated MAGE-3.

[0132] All of the truncated forms presented a strong color reaction. Consequently, it was shown that even the partialength polypeptide of MAGE-3 spanning from Gly⁹⁴ to Glu³¹⁴ (C-terminus) [the region spanning from “

” mark (position 94) to the C-terminus (position 314) in FIG. 4] has the ability to bind to caspase-12.

EXAMPLE 6 Binding Experiment between MAGE-3 Protein and Caspase-12 (Binding of mature caspase-12)

[0133] In this Exarnple, to what extent the precursor and the active form of caspase-12 bind to MAGE-3 protein, respectively, was examined by GST-fusion protein binding experiments.

[0134] The mature caspase-12 (hereinafter, frequently referred to as “p30”) used in these experiments was prepared by removing from pro-caspase-12 the N-terminal prodomain sequence that is not included in mature (active) caspasel2 and then adding His-His-His-His His His sequence to the N-terminal. A CDNA fragment encoding His p30 protein was cloned into an E. coli expression plasmid vector pRSET-A (Invitrogen). When p30 is expressed in E. coli in a large scale, this protein is converted into the mature form by autoprocessing.

[0135] On the other hand, the immature caspase-12 used in these experiments was prepared as follows. Briefly, in order to stabilize immature caspase-12 (i.e., to prevent its autoprocessing), the Cys residue located in the active site of caspase-12 was replaced with a Ser residue to thereby create a mutant p30 (designated “p30C/S”). This mutant was expressed separately in E. coli in a large scale. The cultivation of E. coli and the induced synthesis of p30 proteins were carried out in accordance with the protocols of Invitrogen. Both p30 and p30C/S were purified by nickel column affinity chromatography (Probond Affinity Resin; Invitrogen) utilizing the N-terminal 6×(His) sequence.

[0136] For the purpose of easy recovery of caspase-12-bound products, a cDNA encoding a fusion protein composed of MAGE-3 and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fused to its N-terminal was prepared (pNB341). Briefly, a cDNA encoding MAGE-3 was cloned into an E. coli expression plasmid vector pGEX-4T-3 (Amersham-Pharmacia; Sweden) so that the reading frame of the former coincides with the reading frame of the latter, to thereby construct a fusion gene. After the introduction of pNB341 into E. coli XL-2 Blue MRF′, cultivation of the cells and induced synthesis of the GST-MAGE-3 fusion protein were carried out according to the protocol of Amersham-Pharmacia. The GST-MAGE-3 fusion protein was purified from an extract of the E. coli cells using a glutathione resin (Glutathione Sepharose 4B; Amersham-Pharmacia). The purification was performed according to the protocol of Amersham-Pharmacia.

[0137] The purified OST-MAGE-3 protein was mixed with p30 (mature caspase-12) or p30C/S (immature caspase-12) and then recovered from the solution with the glutathione resin, The proteins co-precipitated with the GST-MAGE-3 protein were analyzed by Western blotting.

[0138] The results are shown in FIG. 5. Legends on individual lanes in this Figure are as follows.

[0139] Lane 1: control experiment in which mature caspasc-12 and CST were mixed (MAGE-3 was not contained)

[0140] Lane 2; mature caspase-12 recovered together with GST-MAGE-3 as a precipitate

[0141] Lane 3: control experiment in which procaspase-12 and GST were mixed (MAGE-3 was not contained)

[0142] Lane 4: immature caspase-12 recovered together with GST-MAGE-3 as a precipitate

[0143] As seen from FIG. 5, although both p30 (mature caspase-12) and p30C/S (immature caspase-12) were recognized in co-precipitates, p30C/S was recognized more than p30 clearly. Accordingly, it was found out that immature caspase-12 binds to GST-MAGE-3 protein more efficiently than mature caspase-12, though both of them bind thereto.

EXAMPLE 7 Inhibition of Caspase Activation by MAGE-3

[0144] In this Example, a pro-caspase-12 (48 kDa) synthesized in vitro was cleaved by mature caspase-12 to thereby reproduce the in vivo activation in vitro.

[0145] The site of cleavage of procaspase-12 by mature caspase-12 is specific. This cleavage site is a specific Asp residue located on the border between the about 20 kDa and about 10 kDa subunits (called p20 and p10, respectively) contained in mature caspase-12 (FIG. 6; lane 2, FIG. 7). It is possible to inhibit this specific cleavage by adding MAGE-3 protein to the cleavage reaction. The experiment was carried out as described below.

[0146] Briefly, procaspase-12 was synthesized using a CDNA coding therefor and an in vitro protein synthesis kit (rNT in vitro transcription/translation kit; Promega, U.S.A.). ³⁵S-labeled methionine (Amersbam-Pharmacia) was added to the synthesis reaction so that the resultant proenzyme was radioactively labeled.

[0147] The radioactively labeled proaspase-12, mature caspase 12 and MAGE-3 protein were mixed in a buffer containing 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.0) and 10 mM dithiothreitol. Then, cleavage reaction was carred out at 3700 for 45 mM. The reaction was terminated by adding thereto an equal volume of 2× electrophoresis sample buffer [100 mM Tris-HCI (pH 6.8), 2% sodium lauryl sulfate, 10% mercaptoethanol, 0.2% Bromophenol Blue, 20% glycerol] and heating the solution at 1000° C. for 4 min.

[0148] This reaction solution was developed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel (14%). The resultant gel was treated with a sensitizer (Ampify; Amersham-Pharmacia), dried and subjected to autoradiography. The radioactive protein contained in the dried gel was detected using BAS2500 detection system (Fuji Film, Japan).

[0149] The results are shown in FIG. 7. Legends on individual lanes are as follows.

[0150] (1) Panel A

[0151] Lane 1: Pro-caspase-12 synthesized in vitro in the presence of radioactive methionine

[0152] Lanes 2-7: Pro-caspase-12 cleaved by mature caspase-12 (0.28 μg) The cleavage reaction was carried out in the presence of MAGE-3 protein in the amount as indicated below:

[0153] Lane 2 (0 μg), Lane 3 (0.3 μg), Lane 4 (1.5 μg), Lane 5 (3 μg), Lane 6 (6 μg),Lane7(12 μg).

[0154] Lane 8: Pro-caspase-12 cleaved by mature caspase-12 (1.1 μg). The cleavage reaction was carried out in the presence of 12, μg of MAGE-3 protein.

[0155] Lane 9: Pro-caspase-12 cleaved by mature caspase-12 (1.1 μg). A control sample. The cleavage reaction was carried out in the presence of 12 μg of bovine serum albumin instead of MGE-3 protein.

[0156] (2) Panel B

[0157] Lane 1: A sample similar to that of lane 7, Panel A (i.e., twice as much substrate (pro-caspase-12) was added to the reaction mixture).

[0158] Lane 2: A sample similar to that of lane 7, Panel A (i.e., the cleavage reaction was carried out in the presence of 24 μg of MAGE-3).

[0159] Lane 3: The same sample as that of lane 9, Panel A

[0160] Lanes 2 through 7 in FIG. 7A show the results of experiments in which gradually increasing amounts (0 to 12 μg) of MAGE-3 protein was present in the reaction. Addition of 12 μg of MAGE-3 inhibited the cleavage reaction by caspase-12 almost completely. When 12 μg of bovine serum albumnin was added instead of MAGE-3 as a control experiment, no inhibitory effect was observed (lane 9, FIG. 7A). The inhibitory effect is resulted mainly from the binding of MAGE-3 to pro-caspase -12.

[0161] Furthermore, the addition of excessive mature caspase-12 (i.e., 1.1 μg; 4 times the amount used in lanes 2-7, FIG. 7A) under the conditions in which cleavage was almost completely inhibited by 12 μg of MAGE-3 did not restore cleavage (lane 8, FIG. 7A). On the other hand, when an excessive amount (i.e., 0.4 μl of the in vitro tranlated protein solution; two times the amount used in lane 1, panel B and lanes 1 through 9, panel A) of substrate (pro-caspase-12) was added under similar conditions, specific cleavage could be detected again (lane 2, FIG. 7B).

[0162] These results revealed that caspase is activated by specific intramolecular cleavage. It was also revealed that MAGE-3 binds to pro-caspase-12 strongly to thereby inhibit the activation of caspase-12.

EXAMPLE 8 Anti-Apoptotic Effect of MAGE-3 in Cultured Cells

[0163] This Example was to confirm that high expression of MAGE-3 in cultured cells enhances the cells' resistance to endoplasminc reticulum (ER) stress-dependent apoptosis.

[0164] In order to examine the inhibition of caspase-12 activation by MAGE-3 at cell level, cell clones that express MAGE-3 highly were established. Then, the reaction of the cells to apoptotic stimuli was examined. Expression of MAGE-3 has not been detected in normal tissues except the testis (Van Pel, A. et al., Immunol. Rev. 145, 229-250 (1995)).

[0165] Briefly, plasmid pNB179 containing a cDNA encoding MAGE-3 was introduced into a mouse myoblast cell strain, C2C12, using Superfect Transfection kit. Since pNEB179 contains the drug resistant gene neo, transformed cells containing this plasmid integrated into chromosomes were selectively grown in a medium containing the antibiotic Geneticin (Gibco-HRL). After 2-week selective culture, colonies of resistant cells formed on culture plates were picked up, cultured separatcly and than cloned. The amount of MAGE-3 expression in each clone was determined by Western blotting (using anti-MAGE-3 protein antibody). Thus, two clones (C2/MA13 and C2/MA21) highly expressing MAGE-3 were obtained.

[0166] Caspase-12 is activated by ER-dependent, apoptosis-inducing stimulus in cells (Nakagawa, T. et al., Nature 403, 98-103 (2000)). Then, the prevent inventor added ithapsigargin, which is an inhibitor of ER-specific calcium ATPase, (Calbiochem, U.S.A.; Thastrup, O. et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 2466-2470 (1990)) to the culture medium of the above-described high expression clones at a concentration of 0.4 μM (for 24 hr).

[0167] As a result, the intracellular calcium homeostasis was disrupted, which promoted activation of caspase-12. Consequently, apoptosis was induced in the cells. More specifically, when C2C12 cells (parent strain) were treated with 0.4 μM thapsigargin for 24 hr, 50% or more of the cells died exhibiting apoptotic morphology (right upper panel in FIG. 8).

[0168] On the other hand, when C2/MA13 and C2/MA21 clones were treated with thapsigargin in the same manner, the cells exhibited resistance. According to the microscopic observation, 90% or more of the cells of these clones retained normal morphology (right middle and right lower panels in FIG. 8). The left panels show the results of control experiments in which cells were treated with 0.1% dimethyl sulfonic acid.

[0169] Subsequently, in order to quantitatively determine the resistance to thapsigargin treatment, the survival rate in each cell clone was calculated. The results of measurement using Cell Counting Kit-8 (Dojindo Co., Japan) revealed that while the survival rate in C2Cl12 decreased to 50% after the 24-hour thapsigargin treatment, the survival rates in C2MA13 and C2MA21 were retained at a high level (75%). Accordingly, it was shown that cells have resistance to ER-specific stress under high expression of MAGE-3. This means that MAGE-3 inhibits the development and progress of apoptosis.

[0170] All the publications. patents and patent applications cited in the present specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

[0171] According to the present invention, there are provided a protein which specifically binds to caspase-12 to thereby inhibit the activation thereof, and a cell death inhibitor containing the protein. This protein is useful as a drug for inhibiting cell death such as apoptosis.

[0172] SEQUENCE LISTING FREE TEXT

[0173] SEQ ID NO: 5: synthetic DNA

[0174] SEQ ID NO: 6: synthetic DNA

[0175] SEQ ID NO: 7: synthetic DNA

[0176] SEQ ID NO: 8: synthetic DNA

[0177] SEQ ID NO: 9: synthetic peptide

[0178] SEQ ID NO: 10:synthetic peptide

1 10 1 4204 DNA Homo sapiens CDS (2465)..(3409) 1 acgcaggcag tgatgtcacc cagaccacac cccttccccc aatgccactt cagggggtac 60 tcagagtcag agacttggtc tgaggggagc agaagcaatc tgcagaggat ggcggtccag 120 gctcagccag gcatcaactt caggaccctg agggatgacc gaaggccccg cccacccacc 180 cccaactccc ccgaccccac caggatctac agcctcagga cccccgtccc aatccttacc 240 ccttgcccca tcaccatctt catgcttacc tccaccccca tccgatcccc atccaggcag 300 aatccagttc cacccctgcc cggaacccag ggtagtaccg ttgccaggat gtgacgccac 360 tgacttgcgc attggaggtc agaagaccgc gagattctcg ccctgagcaa cgagcgacgg 420 cctgacgtcg gcggagggaa gccggcccag gctcggtgag gaggcaaggt aagacgctga 480 gggaggactg aggcgggcct cacctcagac agagggcctc aaataatcca gtgctgcctc 540 tgctgccggg cctgggccac cccgcagggg aagacttcca ggctgggtcg ccactacctc 600 accccgccga cccccgccgc tttagccacg gggaactctg gggacagagc ttaatgtggc 660 cagggcaggg ctggttagaa gaggtcaggg cccacgctgt ggcaggaatc aaggtcagga 720 ccccgagagg gaactgaggg cagcctaacc accaccctca ccaccattcc cgtcccccaa 780 cacccaaccc cacccccatc ccccattccc atccccaccc ccacccctat cctggcagaa 840 tccgggcttt gcccctggta tcaagtcacg gaagctccgg gaatggcggc caggcacgtg 900 agtcctgagg ttcacatcta cggctaaggg agggaagggg ttcggtatcg cgagtatggc 960 cgttgggagg cagcgaaagg gcccaggcct cctggaagac agtggagtcc tgaggggacc 1020 cagcatgcca ggacaggggg cccactgtac ccctgtctca aaccgaggca ccttttcatt 1080 cggctacggg aatcctaggg atgcagaccc acttcagcag ggggttgggg cccagccctg 1140 cgaggagtca tggggaggaa gaagagggag gactgagggg accttggagt ccagatcagt 1200 ggcaaccttg ggctggggga tgctgggcac agtggccaaa tgtgctctgt gctcattgcg 1260 ccttcagggt gaccagagag ttgagggctg tggtctgaag agtgggactt caggtcagca 1320 gagggaggaa tcccaggatc tgcagggccc aaggtgtacc cccaaggggc ccctatgtgg 1380 tggacagatg cagtggtcct aggatctgcc aagcatccag gtgaagagac tgagggagga 1440 ttgagggtac ccctgggaca gaatgcggac tgggggcccc ataaaaatct gccctgctcc 1500 tgctgttacc tcagagagcc tgggcagggc tgtcagctga ggtccctcca ttatcctagg 1560 atcactgatg tcagggaagg ggaagccttg gtctgagggg gctgcactca gggcagtaga 1620 gggaggctct cagaccctac taggagtgga ggtgaggacc aagcagtctc ctcacccagg 1680 gtacatggac ttcaataaat ttggacatct ctcgttgtcc tttccgggag gacctgggaa 1740 tgtatggcca gatgtgggtc ccctcatgtt tttctgtacc atatcaggta tgtgagttct 1800 tgacatgaga gattctcagg ccagcagaag ggagggatta ggccctataa ggagaaaggt 1860 gagggccctg agtgagcaca gaggggatcc tccaccccag tagagtgggg acctcacaga 1920 gtctggccaa ccctcctgac agttctggga atccgtggct gcgtttgctg tctgcacatt 1980 gggggcccgt ggattcctct cccaggaatc aggagctcca ggaacaaggc agtgaggact 2040 tggtctgagg cagtgtcctc aggtcacaga gtagaggggg ctcagatagt gccaacggtg 2100 aaggtttgcc ttggattcaa accaagggcc ccacctgccc cagaacacat ggactccaga 2160 gcgcctggcc tcaccctcaa tactttcagt cctgcagcct cagcatgcgc tggccggatg 2220 taccctgagg tgccctctca cttcctcctt caggttctga ggggacaggc tgacctggag 2280 gaccagaggc ccccggagga gcactgaagg agaagatctg taagtaagcc tttgttagag 2340 cctccaaggt tccattcagt actcagctga ggtctctcac atgctccctc tctccccagg 2400 ccagtgggtc tccattgccc agctcctgcc cacactcccg cctgttgccc tgaccagagt 2460 catc atg cct ctt gag cag agg agt cag cac tgc aag cct gaa gaa ggc 2509 Met Pro Leu Glu Gln Arg Ser Gln His Cys Lys Pro Glu Glu Gly 1 5 10 15 ctt gag gcc cga gga gag gcc ctg ggc ctg gtg ggt gcg cag gct cct 2557 Leu Glu Ala Arg Gly Glu Ala Leu Gly Leu Val Gly Ala Gln Ala Pro 20 25 30 gct act gag gag cag gag gct gcc tcc tcc tct tct act cta gtt gaa 2605 Ala Thr Glu Glu Gln Glu Ala Ala Ser Ser Ser Ser Thr Leu Val Glu 35 40 45 gtc acc ctg ggg gag gtg cct gct gcc gag tca cca gat cct ccc cag 2653 Val Thr Leu Gly Glu Val Pro Ala Ala Glu Ser Pro Asp Pro Pro Gln 50 55 60 agt cct cag gga gcc tcc agc ctc ccc act acc atg aac tac cct ctc 2701 Ser Pro Gln Gly Ala Ser Ser Leu Pro Thr Thr Met Asn Tyr Pro Leu 65 70 75 tgg agc caa tcc tat gag gac tcc agc aac caa gaa gag gag ggg cca 2749 Trp Ser Gln Ser Tyr Glu Asp Ser Ser Asn Gln Glu Glu Glu Gly Pro 80 85 90 95 agc acc ttc cct gac ctg gag tcc gag ttc caa gca gca ctc agt agg 2797 Ser Thr Phe Pro Asp Leu Glu Ser Glu Phe Gln Ala Ala Leu Ser Arg 100 105 110 aag gtg gcc gag ttg gtt cat ttt ctg ctc ctc aag tat cga gcc agg 2845 Lys Val Ala Glu Leu Val His Phe Leu Leu Leu Lys Tyr Arg Ala Arg 115 120 125 gag ccg gtc aca aag gca gaa atg ctg ggg agt gtc gtc gga aat tgg 2893 Glu Pro Val Thr Lys Ala Glu Met Leu Gly Ser Val Val Gly Asn Trp 130 135 140 cag tat ttc ttt cct gtg atc ttc agc aaa gct tcc agt tcc ttg cag 2941 Gln Tyr Phe Phe Pro Val Ile Phe Ser Lys Ala Ser Ser Ser Leu Gln 145 150 155 ctg gtc ttt ggc atc gag ctg atg gaa gtg gac ccc atc ggc cac ttg 2989 Leu Val Phe Gly Ile Glu Leu Met Glu Val Asp Pro Ile Gly His Leu 160 165 170 175 tac atc ttt gcc acc tgc ctg ggc ctc tcc tac gat ggc ctg ctg ggt 3037 Tyr Ile Phe Ala Thr Cys Leu Gly Leu Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu Leu Gly 180 185 190 gac aat cag atc atg ccc aag gca ggc ctc ctg ata atc gtc ctg gcc 3085 Asp Asn Gln Ile Met Pro Lys Ala Gly Leu Leu Ile Ile Val Leu Ala 195 200 205 ata atc gca aga gag ggc gac tgt gcc cct gag gag aaa atc tgg gag 3133 Ile Ile Ala Arg Glu Gly Asp Cys Ala Pro Glu Glu Lys Ile Trp Glu 210 215 220 gag ctg agt gtg tta gag gtg ttt gag ggg agg gaa gac agt atc ttg 3181 Glu Leu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Phe Glu Gly Arg Glu Asp Ser Ile Leu 225 230 235 ggg gat ccc aag aag ctg ctc acc caa cat ttc gtg cag gaa aac tac 3229 Gly Asp Pro Lys Lys Leu Leu Thr Gln His Phe Val Gln Glu Asn Tyr 240 245 250 255 ctg gag tac cgg cag gtc ccc ggc agt gat cct gca tgt tat gaa ttc 3277 Leu Glu Tyr Arg Gln Val Pro Gly Ser Asp Pro Ala Cys Tyr Glu Phe 260 265 270 ctg tgg ggt cca agg gcc ctc gtt gaa acc agc tat gtg aaa gtc ctg 3325 Leu Trp Gly Pro Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Thr Ser Tyr Val Lys Val Leu 275 280 285 cac cat atg gta aag atc agt gga gga cct cac att tcc tac cca ccc 3373 His His Met Val Lys Ile Ser Gly Gly Pro His Ile Ser Tyr Pro Pro 290 295 300 ctg cat gag tgg gtt ttg aga gag ggg gaa gag tga gtctgagcac 3419 Leu His Glu Trp Val Leu Arg Glu Gly Glu Glu 305 310 315 gagttgcagc cagggccagt gggagggggt ctgggccagt gcaccttccg gggccgcatc 3479 ccttagtttc cactgcctcc tgtgacgtga ggcccattct tcactctttg aagcgagcag 3539 tcagcattct tagtagtggg tttctgttct gttggatgac tttgagatta ttctttgttt 3599 cctgttggag ttgttcaaat gttcctttta acggatggtt gaatgagcgt cagcatccag 3659 gtttatgaat gacagtagtc acacatagtg ctgtttatat agtttaggag taagagtctt 3719 gttttttact caaattggga aatccattcc attttgtgaa ttgtgacata ataatagcag 3779 tggtaaaagt atttgcttaa aattgtgagc gaattagcaa taacatacat gagataactc 3839 aagaaatcaa aagatagttg attcttgcct tgtacctcaa tctattctgt aaaattaaac 3899 aaatatgcaa accaggattt ccttgacttc tttgagaatg caagcgaaat taaatctgaa 3959 taaataattc ttcctcttca ctggctcgtt tcttttccgt tcactcagca tctgctctgt 4019 gggaggccct gggttagtag tggggatgct aaggtaagcc agactcacgc ctacccatag 4079 ggctgtagag cctaggacct gcagtcatat aattaaggtg gtgagaagtc ctgtaagatg 4139 tagaggaaat gtaagagagg ggtgagggtg tggcgctccg ggtgagagta gtggagtgtc 4199 agtgc 4204 2 314 PRT Homo sapiens 2 Met Pro Leu Glu Gln Arg Ser Gln His Cys Lys Pro Glu Glu Gly Leu 1 5 10 15 Glu Ala Arg Gly Glu Ala Leu Gly Leu Val Gly Ala Gln Ala Pro Ala 20 25 30 Thr Glu Glu Gln Glu Ala Ala Ser Ser Ser Ser Thr Leu Val Glu Val 35 40 45 Thr Leu Gly Glu Val Pro Ala Ala Glu Ser Pro Asp Pro Pro Gln Ser 50 55 60 Pro Gln Gly Ala Ser Ser Leu Pro Thr Thr Met Asn Tyr Pro Leu Trp 65 70 75 80 Ser Gln Ser Tyr Glu Asp Ser Ser Asn Gln Glu Glu Glu Gly Pro Ser 85 90 95 Thr Phe Pro Asp Leu Glu Ser Glu Phe Gln Ala Ala Leu Ser Arg Lys 100 105 110 Val Ala Glu Leu Val His Phe Leu Leu Leu Lys Tyr Arg Ala Arg Glu 115 120 125 Pro Val Thr Lys Ala Glu Met Leu Gly Ser Val Val Gly Asn Trp Gln 130 135 140 Tyr Phe Phe Pro Val Ile Phe Ser Lys Ala Ser Ser Ser Leu Gln Leu 145 150 155 160 Val Phe Gly Ile Glu Leu Met Glu Val Asp Pro Ile Gly His Leu Tyr 165 170 175 Ile Phe Ala Thr Cys Leu Gly Leu Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu Leu Gly Asp 180 185 190 Asn Gln Ile Met Pro Lys Ala Gly Leu Leu Ile Ile Val Leu Ala Ile 195 200 205 Ile Ala Arg Glu Gly Asp Cys Ala Pro Glu Glu Lys Ile Trp Glu Glu 210 215 220 Leu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Phe Glu Gly Arg Glu Asp Ser Ile Leu Gly 225 230 235 240 Asp Pro Lys Lys Leu Leu Thr Gln His Phe Val Gln Glu Asn Tyr Leu 245 250 255 Glu Tyr Arg Gln Val Pro Gly Ser Asp Pro Ala Cys Tyr Glu Phe Leu 260 265 270 Trp Gly Pro Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Thr Ser Tyr Val Lys Val Leu His 275 280 285 His Met Val Lys Ile Ser Gly Gly Pro His Ile Ser Tyr Pro Pro Leu 290 295 300 His Glu Trp Val Leu Arg Glu Gly Glu Glu 305 310 3 666 DNA Homo sapiens CDS (1)..(666) 3 ggg cca agc acc ttc cct gac ctg gag tcc gag ttc caa gca gca ctc 48 Gly Pro Ser Thr Phe Pro Asp Leu Glu Ser Glu Phe Gln Ala Ala Leu 1 5 10 15 agt agg aag gtg gcc gag ttg gtt cat ttt ctg ctc ctc aag tat cga 96 Ser Arg Lys Val Ala Glu Leu Val His Phe Leu Leu Leu Lys Tyr Arg 20 25 30 gcc agg gag ccg gtc aca aag gca gaa atg ctg ggg agt gtc gtc gga 144 Ala Arg Glu Pro Val Thr Lys Ala Glu Met Leu Gly Ser Val Val Gly 35 40 45 aat tgg cag tat ttc ttt cct gtg atc ttc agc aaa gct tcc agt tcc 192 Asn Trp Gln Tyr Phe Phe Pro Val Ile Phe Ser Lys Ala Ser Ser Ser 50 55 60 ttg cag ctg gtc ttt ggc atc gag ctg atg gaa gtg gac ccc atc ggc 240 Leu Gln Leu Val Phe Gly Ile Glu Leu Met Glu Val Asp Pro Ile Gly 65 70 75 80 cac ttg tac atc ttt gcc acc tgc ctg ggc ctc tcc tac gat ggc ctg 288 His Leu Tyr Ile Phe Ala Thr Cys Leu Gly Leu Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu 85 90 95 ctg ggt gac aat cag atc atg ccc aag gca ggc ctc ctg ata atc gtc 336 Leu Gly Asp Asn Gln Ile Met Pro Lys Ala Gly Leu Leu Ile Ile Val 100 105 110 ctg gcc ata atc gca aga gag ggc gac tgt gcc cct gag gag aaa atc 384 Leu Ala Ile Ile Ala Arg Glu Gly Asp Cys Ala Pro Glu Glu Lys Ile 115 120 125 tgg gag gag ctg agt gtg tta gag gtg ttt gag ggg agg gaa gac agt 432 Trp Glu Glu Leu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Phe Glu Gly Arg Glu Asp Ser 130 135 140 atc ttg ggg gat ccc aag aag ctg ctc acc caa cat ttc gtg cag gaa 480 Ile Leu Gly Asp Pro Lys Lys Leu Leu Thr Gln His Phe Val Gln Glu 145 150 155 160 aac tac ctg gag tac cgg cag gtc ccc ggc agt gat cct gca tgt tat 528 Asn Tyr Leu Glu Tyr Arg Gln Val Pro Gly Ser Asp Pro Ala Cys Tyr 165 170 175 gaa ttc ctg tgg ggt cca agg gcc ctc gtt gaa acc agc tat gtg aaa 576 Glu Phe Leu Trp Gly Pro Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Thr Ser Tyr Val Lys 180 185 190 gtc ctg cac cat atg gta aag atc agt gga gga cct cac att tcc tac 624 Val Leu His His Met Val Lys Ile Ser Gly Gly Pro His Ile Ser Tyr 195 200 205 cca ccc ctg cat gag tgg gtt ttg aga gag ggg gaa gag tga 666 Pro Pro Leu His Glu Trp Val Leu Arg Glu Gly Glu Glu 210 215 220 4 221 PRT Homo sapiens 4 Gly Pro Ser Thr Phe Pro Asp Leu Glu Ser Glu Phe Gln Ala Ala Leu 1 5 10 15 Ser Arg Lys Val Ala Glu Leu Val His Phe Leu Leu Leu Lys Tyr Arg 20 25 30 Ala Arg Glu Pro Val Thr Lys Ala Glu Met Leu Gly Ser Val Val Gly 35 40 45 Asn Trp Gln Tyr Phe Phe Pro Val Ile Phe Ser Lys Ala Ser Ser Ser 50 55 60 Leu Gln Leu Val Phe Gly Ile Glu Leu Met Glu Val Asp Pro Ile Gly 65 70 75 80 His Leu Tyr Ile Phe Ala Thr Cys Leu Gly Leu Ser Tyr Asp Gly Leu 85 90 95 Leu Gly Asp Asn Gln Ile Met Pro Lys Ala Gly Leu Leu Ile Ile Val 100 105 110 Leu Ala Ile Ile Ala Arg Glu Gly Asp Cys Ala Pro Glu Glu Lys Ile 115 120 125 Trp Glu Glu Leu Ser Val Leu Glu Val Phe Glu Gly Arg Glu Asp Ser 130 135 140 Ile Leu Gly Asp Pro Lys Lys Leu Leu Thr Gln His Phe Val Gln Glu 145 150 155 160 Asn Tyr Leu Glu Tyr Arg Gln Val Pro Gly Ser Asp Pro Ala Cys Tyr 165 170 175 Glu Phe Leu Trp Gly Pro Arg Ala Leu Val Glu Thr Ser Tyr Val Lys 180 185 190 Val Leu His His Met Val Lys Ile Ser Gly Gly Pro His Ile Ser Tyr 195 200 205 Pro Pro Leu His Glu Trp Val Leu Arg Glu Gly Glu Glu 210 215 220 5 20 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic DNA 5 gcccagctcc tgcccacact 20 6 19 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic DNA 6 ggatgcggcc ccggaaggt 19 7 32 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic DNA 7 ctcgatatcg caccatgcct cttgagcaga gg 32 8 27 DNA Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic DNA 8 ctcctcgagt cactcttccc cctctct 27 9 14 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic peptide 9 Met Arg Gly Ser His His His His His His Gly Met Ala Ser 1 5 10 10 18 PRT Artificial Sequence Description of Artificial Sequencesynthetic peptide 10 Cys His Ile Ser Tyr Pro Pro Leu His Glu Trp Val Leu Arg Glu Gly 1 5 10 15 Glu Glu 

what is claimed is:
 1. An isolated protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids from position 1 to position 81, from position 1 to position 88, from position 1 to position 90, or from position 1 to position 93 are deleted.
 2. An isolated gene encoding a protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ED NO: 2 from which amino acids from position 1 to position 81, from position 1 to position 88, from position 1 to position 90, or from position 1 to position 93 are deleted.
 3. The isolated gene of claim 2, wherein the gene comprises a DNA consisting of the nucleotide sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:
 3. 4. A recombinant vector comprising the gene of claim 2 or
 3. 5. A transformant comprising the recombinant vector of claim
 4. 6. A method of producing a protein which inhibits the activation of caspase-12, comprising culturing the transformant of claim 5 in a medium and recovering the protein from the resultant culture.
 7. A complex formed by the binding of a MAGE-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof.
 8. A cell death inhibitor comprising a MAG3E-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof as an active ingredient.
 9. The cell death inhibitor of claim 8, wherein the MAGEE-3 protein consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:
 2. 10. The cell death inhibitor of claim 8, wherein the truncated form of a MAGE-3 protein consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids from position 1 to position 81, from position 1 to position 88, from position 1 to position 90, or from position 1 to position 93 are deleted.
 11. The cell death inhibitor of any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the cell death is at least one selected from the group consisting of apoptosis, necrosis, scheduled cell death, programmed cell death and cell injury.
 12. A therapeutic agent for cell death related diseases, comprising a MAGE-3 protein and/or a truncated form thereof as an active ingredient.
 13. The therapeutic agent of claim 12, wherein the MAGE-3 protein consists of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ D NO:
 2. 14. The therapeutic agent of claim 12, wherein the truncated form of a MAGE-3 protein is an isolated protein consisting of the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 from which amino acids from position 1 to position 81, from position 1 to position 88, from position 1 to position 90, or from position 1 to position 93 are deleted.
 15. The therapeutic agent of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the cell death related disease is at least one selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, autoinmune diseases, amyotrophy and organ disorders.
 16. A method of inhibiting the activation of caspase-12, comprising binding a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof to caspase-12 or the precursor thereof.
 17. A method of detecting anti-apoptotic activity in a tissue or cell, comprising treating said tissue or cell with an antibody which specifically recognizes a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof and detecting expression of said MAGE-3 protein or said truncated form in said tissue or cell, wherein detection of a high expression of said MAGE-3 protein or said truncated form thereof indicates that said tissue of cell has anti-apoptotic activity.
 18. A method of detecting anti-apoptotic activity in a tissue or cell, comprising detecting the expression of an MRNA encoding a MAGE-3 protein or a truncated form thereof in said tissue or cell. 